Kofi Annan Returns Home On Tuesday

Former United Nations(UN) Secretary General, Kofi Annan, is due to return to home on Tuesday, January 23 night where he is being urged to contest the country’s presidential election in 2008.

An official statement asked the public to come to the airport to give Annan a hero’s welcome. Annan completed his two five- year terms on December 31.
According to the statement, President Kufuor and Vice President Aliu Mahama, ministers of state, members of the diplomatic corps, leaders of political parties and traditional leaders would be at the airport to welcome the former UN boss.

Annan, 68, who retired from the top position of the world body at the end of last year, is reported to have turned down the advances of the New Life Ghana Movement urging his candidacy.

The movement set up the website draftkofiannan2008.com to campaign for his candidacy.
Kofi Annan, the website, which is not endorsed by Annan, said “is the best qualified person to lead the country “at this crucial time.”
Annan, who was the second African to head the UN after Egyptian Boutros Boutros Ghali, won several honours including the Nobel Peace Prize and he was also the first UN Secretary General to rise to the top through the UN system.

The draftkofiannan2008.com website said its team was calling on Annan “to come and lead us as a nation” and contest the election as an independent candidate.
“We find it necessary that Mr. Annan take up this challenge as an independent presidential candidate so that he can concentrate on building the administrative and managerial competences of our ministries and departments while oversight is provided by political activity, parliament, the judiciary, media, and society at large, without the dangers of a one-party state,” the website said.

Mr Annan became only the second African, after Boutrous Boutrous Ghali to be appointed head of the UN in 1996.
He was also the only Secretary-General who rose through the UN system to become its head
Source:Times

Government protests alleged intimidation of contributor at Assembly

The Government on Tuesday said it strongly protests the allegation of violence against a contributor during the Jubilee People’s Assembly held in Sunyani earlier in the day.




A statement signed by Mrs Oboshie Sai-Kofie, deputy Minister of Information and National Orientation, said if found to be true, government will spare no effort in identifying the perpetrator or perpetrators and bringing them to book.

The alleged harassment reportedly occurred outside the venue of the Assembly, soon after the alleged victim made his contribution. “Government finds the allegation most unfortunate, and if found to be true, would like to re-emphasize that the very idea of the innovative People’s Assembly, is to ensure a consistent deepening and strengthening of our democracy,” the statement said, adding that one of the core values to be defended and sustained is that of freedom of speech.

It said President John Agyekum Kufuor and the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr Kwamena Bartels spoke at length during the event, about the need for tolerance, even when views and opinions differed.GNA

Ghana-Nigeria: 6th February

The CEO of D-Vision Network Dennis Tawiah has confirmed that the Black Stars of Ghana will now play their Nigerian counterparts on Tuesday February 6 in London.The new venue for the match will be the 19,000 capacity Brentford Stadium in West London.

It might be recalled that the same venue hosted the international friendly between the Black Stars and Togo last August.According to Justin Addo, CEO of Jv2i Consult, organisers of the game, a change of date and venue is the only alternative to ensure the game takes place next month.The English FA ruled that since England play Spain on 7 February in Manchester we need to look for an alternative date," Addo told BBC Sport on Friday.

"We made strong efforts to still have the game played at Loftus Road, home of Queens Park Rangers but the ground is not free for our new date, hence we have to settle for Brentford."The Nigerian FA and the GFA have endorsed this new date we are happy that the match will still take place."Mr Tawiah who is the GFA's match agent in Europe told Metro Sports that both Nigeria and Ghana will feature all their stars. The Tuesday February 6 Match will kick off at 7:45.

115 billion cedis for Accra High Street Project

The Government of Ghana (GOG) has allocated 115 billion cedis towards the construction of selected roads within the Accra Central Business District.The projects include the reconstruction of the Korle Lagoon Bridge, a four-kilometre road stretching from the Lavender Hill near Korlegonno to the Independence Square and one-way pedestrian schemes within the Okaishie Sub District.

The Department of Urban Roads (DUR) is supervising the project, which is being undertaken by China Railway Wuju Group, a Chinese construction firm. Tahal Consulting Engineers (TCE) from Israel through their local subsidiary, Alpha Consulting is the consultant for the project.

Diversions on the road project on Monday worsened the traffic situation in Central part to Accra and the Korle-Bu areas and when the Ghana News Agency visited the project site, roadblocks were mounted at various points within the area, and personnel from the Police Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) were directing traffic.Hundreds of commuters opted to walk to work instead of going on commercial vehicles that were stuck in heavy traffic.

Mr Kwesi Nuama, Road Development Engineer from DUR, who is in charge of the Project told the Ghana News Agency that so far the Government had released a 22 billion cedis as Advance Mobilization Loan (AML) to the consultants to re-start the Project.

He said the project, which took off several years ago but was halted due to lack of funding would now be completed in the next 18 months, adding that the bridge bit of it would be completed in eight months.

Mr Adrian Frantescu, Chief Executive Officer TCE, also told the GNA that as part of the Project, the bridge at Lavender Hill would be expanded and raised up to accommodate the back tides from the sea waves and also be lengthened from the current 30 metres to 66 metres.

He said the bridge would be converted into double dual carriageway to ease traffic to and from Accra.Mr Frantescu noted that the current state of the bridge at Lavender Hill was a death trap, saying that it was on the verge of collapse and that structurally it had failed.

"The bridge is too short and narrow - we are lucky that articulator vehicles do not use this bridge, otherwise it would have collapsed long ago," he said."We will construct a three span bridge, taller enough, with several outlets to ensure easy flow of the back tide from the sea waves." He said in the course of the road construction only the City Engineers office building and the walls of the Customs, Exercise of Preventive Service offices in James Town would be affected. "We need to preserve the historic buildings along that corridor and so we would not touch any of them," he said.

Mr Frantescu said the Project promises to create jobs for both skilled and unskilled personnel in the country, saying that at the moment all the 200 persons employed for the Project were Ghanaians and there was a prospect of an additional 150 jobs for the people in the James Town, Ga Mashie, Chockor, Korlegonno.He said while the Project was underway, the Police Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) would assist to ensure the smooth flow of traffic.

Mr Frantesacu said efforts were being made to prevent the reoccurrence of heavy traffic jams but noted that during the project period traffic would be considerably slow within that area.
Source:GNA

Corruption is Ghana’s biggest headache - Boateng

The Chief Executive Officer of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and presidential aspirant of the New Patriotic, Party (NPP), Professor Dr. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, says bribery and corruption is about the biggest problem facing the country.

He said corruption accounts for about 75 percent of the nation’s problems and has therefore called on all Ghanaians to help find a lasting solution to it.Dr. Frimpong-Boateng who was addressing a cross section of the press in Kumasi at the weekend on why he was in politics and his vision for the nation, said he was in politics because he had realised that “we have not done well collectively as a people in terms of development.

”He said in spite of this predicament “we are not addressing the problems that would help to move us forward.“We are not a determined people and not dispassionate as compared to our peer countries like Singapore, Cuba and Malaysia who started their development efforts with us on the same note”, he observed.

He said there was the need for all Ghanaians to find solutions to the problems facing the country to help its socio-economic developmentHe said if developed countries were suppressing the developing nations, then it was all because their survival and well being were not being addressed properly by themselves.

Dr Frimpong-Boateng said the time has come for the nation to have selfless and disciplined people to move the nation forward stressing that Ghanaians have something in them, which when tapped can help the nation to advance.The presidential aspirant said when the time comes to elect leaders for the country Ghanaians should look out for leaders who have good track records, consider their religious principles, character and integrity.
Source:GNA

I am in the Presidential race to move the Nation forward- Professor Boateng

Professor Dr Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, the Chief Executive Officer of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and presidential Aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) says he is in politics because he has realised that “we have not done well collectively as a people in terms of development.

He said in spite of this predicament “we are not addressing the problems that would help to move us forward. Dr. Frimpong-Boateng was addressing a cross section of the Press in Kumasi on Saturday on why he was in politics and his vision for the nation. “We are not a determined people and not dispassionate as compared to our peer countries like Singapore, Cuba and Malaysia who started their development efforts with us on the same note”, he observed. He said if developed countries were suppressing the developing nations, then it was all because their survival and well being were not being addressed properly by themselves.

Dr Frimpong-Boateng said the time has come for the nation to have selfless and disciplined people to move the nation forward stressing that Ghanaians have something in them, which when tapped can help the nation to advance. The Presidential Aspirant said when the time comes to elect leaders for the country Ghanaians should look out for leaders who have good track records, consider their religious principles, character and integrity.

He said there was the need for all Ghanaians to find solutions to the problems facing the country to help its socio-economic development. Professor Dr. Frimpong-Boateng spoke against bribery and corruption in the country and said corruption accounts for about 75 per cent of the nation’s problems and called on all Ghanaians to help find lasting a solution to it.GNA

Veep opens website to promote transparency in mining industry

Vice President Alhaji Mahama on Monday launched a website to promote efforts to ensure that transparency and accountability become the hallmark of the mining industry in Ghana. The website: http://www.gheiti.gov.gh/, which was the brainchild of the Executive, with support from Germany would showcase information on fiscal inputs and outputs of the industry.

Vice President Mahama launched the Information, Communication and Technology facility in Accra at day's international workshop on Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), launched by the British Prime Minister in South Africa in 2002 to among other things ensure greater transparency and accountability in the exploitation of natural resources. "We all know that this website will be inaccessible to the average Ghanaian.

However, they listen to radio and read local newspapers," he said. Vice President Mahama, therefore, challenged the Independent Aggregator to publish its reports in the mass media or bulletins and newsletters of the district assemblies to "constitute a veritable part of the transparency and accountability process in governance". He said the setting up of a National Steering Committee and the establishment of a Secretariat on EITI called for accountability and transparency in the management of forest resources.

Vice President Mahama said: "Ghana as a signatory to the EITI concept has to ensure that things are done right on the part of the investor, operator and government in a collaborative manner. "To this end, a legislative framework will soon be put in place to give legal backing to the concept, which will then enable Government to give regular budgetary support to the initiative." Referring to the publish-what- you- pay media concept adopted by the Ghana Chamber of Mines for mining companies, Vice President Mahama asked the Chamber to improve on the notion by adding: "Restore -what-you damage" in order to reduce tensions associated with mining activities in some local communities.

This attracted cheers. He said Ghana had introduced generous incentive packages and a fiscal regime to boost the mining industry. Some of these incentives include royalty payments of three per cent on production; loss carry forward for five years and capital allowance of 80 per cent in the first year of operation while the rest is spread over the lifetime of the mine.

"Its is common knowledge that the price of gold has increased steadily in recent times, yet mining companies continue to pay three per cent royalty to Government. One would have expected an increase in royalty payments based on the sliding scale of three and six per cent. "This is not being done and it is of concern to Government," he said.GNA